1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to image forming apparatuses, image forming methods and image forming systems.
2. Related Art
Image forming apparatuses such as laser beam printers are already well known. Such image forming apparatuses include, for example, an image bearing member for bearing latent images, and a developer bearing member for transporting developer to an opposing position opposing the image bearing member by rotating with developer being borne thereon. When image signals or the like are transmitted from an external apparatus such as a host computer, latent images borne on the image bearing member are developed using the developer that has been transported to the opposing position by the developer bearing member, thereby forming developer images. Then, the developer images are transferred onto a medium so as to ultimately form images on the medium.
During development of the latent images using developer, some of such image forming apparatuses apply to the developer bearing member an alternating voltage that includes a first voltage for moving a developer from the developer bearing member toward the image bearing member, and a second voltage for moving developer from the image bearing member toward the developer bearing member. In addition, regularly disposed concave sections are sometimes provided on the surface of such a developer bearing member such that a sufficient amount of developer is borne on the surface of the developer bearing member (in other words, in order to ensure a sufficiently large surface area for the surface on which developer is borne), or for other reasons.
Incidentally, in such an image forming apparatus, a discharge phenomenon may occur between the image bearing member and the developer bearing member during development of the latent images. When a discharge phenomenon occurs, developer images are not appropriately formed on the image bearing member, and ultimately defective images are formed on a medium.
JP-A-5-142950 and JP-A-2004-219640 disclose examples of related technique.